Archive for the ‘Wal-Mart’ Category

Coffee BeansI went to the Wal-Mart closest to our house earlier tonight to see how their electronics section is handling the Wii U launch, and to see if by any chance they are doing a midnight release. They aren’t doing a midnight release for the system, but while I was browsing the video game section I spotted a few Wii U games already out, with prices listed for each.

If you are heading to Wal-Mart tonight (or this week) to try and grab a Wii U and are planning on picking up Scribblenauts Unlimited make sure to bring a price match ad from perhaps Target, or an online scan from Amazon.com. Wal-Mart had the game listed at $59.96, but Target.com, Amazon.com, and a Game Stop store tonight all have Scribblenauts Unlimited for the Wii U now with a list price of $49.99, instead of the $59.99 (or $59.96).

So, if you’re going out Wii U shopping this next week, make sure to watch game prices across a few different sites to make sure you are getting the best deals for your money.

If you haven’t seen the newest Wii U commercials for Scribblenauts Unlimited yet, here’s one of them:

QuestionsAre any of you planning on buying Scribblenauts Unlimited with the Wii U, and if you have played the past Scribblenauts games, do you think a 3.5 year old would enjoy them?You can see Scribblenauts Unlimited on Amazon.com below with the lower list price:

Coffee Beans & BrewThere have been Wii U demo stations popping up in Best Buy, Game Stop, and even Wal-Mart stores around the U.S. for the last several weeks. We ventured out a few weeks back, but didn’t find a Wii U demo station on our first attempt.

This past Monday afternoon, after checking Nintendo’s Wii U demo locator, I ventured out to a Best Buy to give one a try. Upon entering the Best Buy the Wii U demo station was easy to spot in the middle of the store with the Wii U logo being lit up on top, helping draw attention to the unit. The Wii U demo unit on display was the white Wii U console and GamePad, which I believe is the standard color for the demo stations.

What did I think of my short time with the Wii U and the Wii U GamePad? Brew yourself some coffee and read my thoughts on the GamePad, and even find out one thing I found to be uncomfortable about the GamePad!

Caffeinated ThoughtsWii U GamePad Weight – When I picked up the GamePad, I was actually surprised at the weight of the GamePad, as it was a little heavier than I was expecting it to be. The weight of the GamePad wasn’t an issue during my time with the demo unit though, but it does make me wonder if young children like Bean 1 might have trouble holding it up after a while though.

Wii U GamePad Screen Display – I thought the screen on the GamePad was very nice, better than I expected really. It displayed text and images well, and the screen was very bright and crisp, displaying text and images well. The video streaming to it from Rayman Legends worked well, and I found the game content displayed on the GamePad to be very good quality.

Wii U GamePad Screen Response – I knew Rayman Legends was available to play on the demo, so I scrolled through the list of games, which worked extremely well via the touch screen, and selected Rayman Legends. The touching of the screen worked well on the basic menu selection, and the use of the touch mechanics in Rayman Legends I thought were put to good use. I was able to use my finger(s) to tap, tickle, swipe, and drag enemies and objects in one of the levels, and all the touch input from my finger(s) to the GamePad screen was recognized without issue.

Wii U GamePad Comfort – While I was trying out the Rayman Legends demo, I noticed something about the Wii U’s GamePad that I found to be uncomfortable. Take a look at the image below, to see the one thing I found to be uncomfortable about the Wii U GamePad while playing Rayman Legends.

Click for full image size.

I’m not sure if the little ridges are there to add a bit of a “grip” to the controller, or if they are there due to design specifications and the GamePad needed them to make it all fit together nicely without any issues; but I did actually feel them against the sides of my palms while playing Rayman Legends, and not in a comfortable way. I’m not too concerned with the ridges though, as we will be fitting our GamePad with a protective case of some sort (still debating which one), but if you notice the ridges as I did it may be a good enough reason to buy a protective cover.

General Thoughts – The volume on the demo unit TV was very low, and being that the game wouldn’t let me stream it only to the GamePad, I’m not sure how loud the speaker output would have been from the GamePad’s speakers. Also, I did notice that the Wii U demo station looks like every game listed has an option to be a playable demo, but only Rayman Legends is the current playable Wii U game to demo, which I do find very odd. Rayman Legends isn’t scheduled to release for nearly another 4 months (if Amazon.com’s date is correct), so why Nintendo chose to not demo an actual Wii U day one launch title I find odd. I think if Nintendo wants to improve the Wii U demo stations moving forward, having more than one game available to demo would be a great place to start, and choosing a game that allows the GamePad to stream it for hearing the speaker output would be great as well.

I have just over 24 hours left as of writing and posting this piece, until I’ll have a Wii U that I won’t have to worry with hogging on a store demo. With basically a day left, I’m still debating on which game(s) I want to go with, and it might end up being a last minute decision, but I’m definitely leaning toward ZombiU right now.

QuestionsHave any of you tried the Wii U demo station, or perhaps demoed the Wii U at an event, and noticed the ridges I found to be uncomfortable?

If any of you are in North America, are you planning on going to camp out for a Wii U if you don’t have one reserved yet, but want one Sunday? If you have a Wii U reserved, what game(s) are you getting with the system?

Coffee BeansWal-Mart just released their Black Friday ad, so shoppers can start sitting in lines now! Okay, maybe not now. Shoppers can start planning on what they are interested in though. Take a look at the image below that shows some video game deals Wal-Mart will be offering.

Filtered Thoughts

Seeing the PlayStation 3 bundled with two games for under $200 I think is a great deal, and the Wii console being under $100 will probably do extremely well also. Being that I don’t own an Xbox 360, I would have been more interested in seeing the Arcade version discounted down around $150, and perhaps with a game or two bundled in.

As for the video games being offered, Shaun White Skateboarding for only $10 on the Wii stood out to me, because of the Balance Board controls the game has and the fact I have enjoyed my time with Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip.

QuestionsDo you see any video game deals that you won’t be able to pass up, and perhaps you are reading this on your iPhone while driving to Wal-Mart right now with your sleeping bag and tent? If you already own a lot of the games shown, are there any you would really recommend others picking up at the discounted prices?

If the reports and sale ads for the stores*, that are appearing on the internet now, are correct, the Wii will get a price drop to $199.99 on September 27.

If $199.99 is the new MSRP for the Wii, and if it is costing Nintendo$107.79 to manufacture everything included with the console, Nintendo will still be making roughly $80-90 per Wii unit sold at the new $199.99 MSRP.

From the original manufacturing price estimate of $195.99*, to the new estimate in manufacturing costs reduction being 45%*, I would say Nintendo can manufacture and distribute the Wii, for less than $120. If correct, this would mean a Wii retailing at a MSRP of $149.99 or even $129.99 is possible, but not probable, in the very near future.

$107.79 may seem like a low cost to manufacture the Wii with everything in the box, but we must remember, the Wii is simply two GameCubes duct taped together*…

Do you think Nintendo is dropping the price of the Wii enough at the $199.99 MSRP? Do you think when looking at numbers like these, that an analyst like Michael Pachter may be right in assuming that Nintendo will announce a Wii Plus HD next year and sell it alongside the current Wii?

If you don’t own a Wii, does the new rumored MSRP of $199.99 make it more likely you’ll buy one now?

If the reports and sale ads for the stores*, that are appearing on the internet now, are correct, the Wii will get a price drop to $199.99 on September 27.

If $199.99 is the new MSRP for the Wii, and if it is costing Nintendo$107.79 to manufacture everything included with the console, Nintendo will still be making roughly $80-90 per Wii unit sold at the new $199.99 MSRP.

How much does it cost Nintendo to manufacture the Wii in 2009?

From the original Wii manufacturing cost of $195.99*, to the new estimate in manufacturing costs reduction being 45%*, I would say Nintendo can manufacture and distribute the Wii in 2009, for less than $120. If correct, this would mean a Wii retailing at a MSRP of $149.99 or even $129.99 is possible, but not probable, in the very near future.

$107.79 may seem like a low cost to manufacture the Wii with everything in the box, but we must remember, the Wii is simply two GameCubes duct taped together*…

Do you think Nintendo is dropping the price of the Wii enough at the $199.99 MSRP? Do you think when looking at numbers like these, that an analyst like Michael Pachter may be right in assuming that Nintendo will announce a Wii Plus HD next year and sell it alongside the current Wii?

If you don’t own a Wii, does the new rumored MSRP of $199.99 make it more likely you’ll buy one now?